Cafe shut after hygiene blast

A CAFÉ in Henley has closed after less than three months following a poor hygiene rating.

The Thyme Café opened at the River & Rowing Museum in July and was run by Dan McCullough, from Bix, and Jason Wild, from Blackheath.

The pair left immediately after catering for Princess Anne’s visit to the museum on September 18. They say the decision to close was a commercial one.

The café had been givem one star out of five in a hygiene inspection by an environmental health officer from South Oxfordshire District Council in July. The rating means “major improvement is necessary” under the national Scores on the Doors scheme.

Thyme, which was the fifth operator of the museum café in seven years, will be replaced by Velolife, a cycle-friendly café that will open next month.

The inspector’s report, which has been seen by the Henley Standard as result of a Freedom of Information request, highlighted a risk of food contamination and said major improvement was required on the management of the café, food safety compliance and the kitchen infrastructure. The inspector found:

• Out of date cream.

•Allergenic products stored with non-allergenic ones.

• Prepared food with a shelf life that was too long.

The café was found to have stored cured salmon alongside raw meat in a fridge and portioned it on a designated cooked meat chopping board after curing, posing a risk of cross-contamination.

The inspector said the operators were “unable to provide me with any confirmation that the salmon meets the requirements of presenting a minimal risk of parasite infection or that the supplier has carried out a freezing treatment which would allow the product to be consumed raw as ready to eat.

“Food businesses must ensure that adequate controls are in place to manage the risk of parasites in fish and fishery products intended to be eaten raw or lightly cooked.”

Gluten-free bread was stored in a freezer with regular bread, posing a risk of allergen cross contamination via touching the packaging.

The inspector said the shelf life of “day of preparation plus three days” for high risk foods was too long, adding: “You must ensure you provide your foods with an appropriate shelf life to prevent the growth of bacteria.”

It was noted that foods such as the butternut squash and tomato tart were being cooked and cooled at too low a temperature (37C) before being displayed for up to four hours.

Food handlers were wearing watches, which the inspector said could harbour dirt and bacteria.

The kitchen ceiling was not suitably pest-proofed as there was a number of holes in the tiles.

A large section of the ceiling above the extract ventilation system and across the entire dishwashing area was missing, exposing bare brickwork and insulating material.

Flooring in the dishwashing area of the kitchen was missing, exposing the uneven concrete slabs below.

The inspector also noted there was no written food safety management system.

The new café operator is Lee Goodwin, 43, from South Ascot.

He opened the first Velolife in Warren Row eight years ago when he took over an empty pub and expanded his bicycle repair business to include a café. This was followed by two more cafés in Wargrave and Twyford last year.

Mr Goodwin, who is originally from South Africa, said: “My wife and children have spent quite a lot of time at the museum and I was asked if I was interested. A lot of our customers are rowers as well as cyclists and we know the area quite well.

“We had a conversation and heard a little bit about what they were going to do with the museum going forward and we thought it could be quite a good fit. We try our best to keep things really simple and that what we do, we do really well. Keeping things simple and uncomplicated can be hugely successful.

“I have no doubt that some cyclists will come because they know us but this will be slightly different for us so we will change the food offering a little bit.

“We will do open sandwiches and a lot on sourdough. All the products we use are sourced as locally as we can.”

He added: “The museum is a beautiful venue in a stunning location. We are really looking forward to doing something nice and special and growing into the café.

“I normally spend my time between all three of the cafés but I look forward to spending quite a bit of time in Henley going forward.”

Initially, the café will not cater for events held at the museum.

Steve O’Connor, director of the museum, said: “We’re really excited to be working with Velolife, who come highly recommended. We are looking forward to have the café open and running again.”

Mr McCullough said it was a commercial decision to close the business.

He said: “Perhaps it was the location, I’m not really sure, but it was not making money. I don’t know how any independent site in Henley makes any money. The rent is ridiculously high for the footfall you get ind you get hit by the labour costs — salaries for chefs are 30 per cent higher than they used to be. It’s a really tough market.”

He declined to comment on the hygiene rating.